The Provocateur: Jean Paul Gaultier

On the opening of his first retrospective, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the legendary Parisian designer and the exhibition's curator reflect on some of the most memorable pieces from his illustrious career.

"At first, I did not want to make exhibition because for me a retrospective is for a funeral—and I am alive!" Jean Paul Gaultier says about the first international exhibit devoted to his work, opening at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. "But instead of putting it together chronologically, it is almost like a new collection."

The Provocateur: Jean Paul Gaultier

The Provocateur: Jean Paul Gaultier

The exhibit, which spans the 35 years of Gaultier's career, is instead grouped into six thematic rooms: an introduction to his favorite themes, the boudoir, skin and nudity, punk cancan (a fusion of Parisian chic and punk rock London), a multicultural urban jungle, and futurism. The result is a dizzying explosion of Gaultier's most creative fashion feats in fashion and pop culture told through images, video, and, of course, clothing. "I don't like dreams or reality. I like when dreams become reality because that is my life," Gaultier says of the result.

The exhibit, curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, opens June 17 and runs through October 2 before traveling to Dallas, San Francisco, Madrid, and Rotterdam. Here, Gaultier and Loriot discuss just a few of the gems it includes.